| The compelling rationale to use interoperable electronic health records (EHRs) for many governments worldwide is to improve the quality and safety of health care services and to reduce cost. These countries, including Canada, are striving to develop workable models.; Our study summarizes and contrasts where Canadian EHR efforts stand in comparison to five OECD countries: Australia, New Zealand, the European Union, the United Kingdom and the United States.; Findings from our primary project indicated that external barriers from diverse health care groups in Canada hindered the Canada Health Infoway's efforts to implement integrated health information technology (HIT) in Canada. Therefore, we conducted a second study to identify significant HIT integration opportunities and to bring together diverse health care groups to work on a successful project.; Our study examined two different HIT models: the interoperable EHR and PACS/RIS systems. We showed that EHR has a high implementation and adoption rate in countries that use clear strategies for implementation, set the HIT standards and provide economic incentives. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)... |
